Helping to take out the trash
BROOKSVILLE –
Former county commissioner Diane Rowden has a new job: contract employee for Republic Services, the company that took over the trash hauling duties for Hernando County.
Rowden said she was hired in December to assist the company, which has received hundreds of citizen complaints since taking over the hauling contract.
“I’ve been doing this since (December) to help with the transition,” Rowden said. “When you’re talking about a big undertaking of the entire county, that’s quite a responsibility.”
Asked to provide details of the problems Republic Services has had trying to keep up with garbage collections and the lateness of getting informational flyers out to customers, Rowden declined to comment.
She referred a Hernando Today reporter to an appropriate Republic representative.
“I respect the company’s policy and I’m not going to say anything in the paper,” she said. “I’m enjoying what I’m doing.”
Rowden said Republic hired her because of her knowledge of the community and the residents.
“We’ve used her to help us with information, public relations,” said Randy Canal, business unit manager with Republic Services. “She’s been here many years in Hernando County.”
Canal said Rowden has met with homeowners associations and civic groups to help communicate the issues.
Canal said many of the problems that occurred during the first week of the transition have been resolved.
County Community Relations Coordinator Brenda Frazier said she has been working with Rowden during the transition.
Frazier, the point person for the county who has been busy this week fielding calls from residents with missed collections, said she believes it was a good move on Republic’s part to hire Rowden.
“It makes sense,” Frazier said. “She is knowledgeable about the county and she can do public relations. That’s what she did as a county commissioner.”
Two years ago, Rowden ran for state representative District 44 against incumbent Republican Robert Schenck.
Leading up to election night, Rowden blasted Schenck’s legislative record, saying he failed to help the constituents during the Gulf oil spill and blamed him for a general lack of attention to key issues.
Rowden took on a role of championing the people who lived near the Gulf and were affected by the oil spill.
Schenck cruised to victory.
Civic activist Janey Baldwin expressed surprise when learning Rowden was being paid by Republic Services. Baldwin said she attended a recent informational meeting on the trash transition and Rowden was there handing out information to residents.
“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh,’ I couldn’t imagine what in the world she would be doing with (Republic),” Baldwin said. “She said she was a representative of the company (and) we could call her anytime we had a problem.”
Baldwin said it’s a strange job for the former county commissioner.
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